I spoke at FEI 2016 about Blended Reality. It’s the fusion of our physical and digital worlds, creating new and improved experiences for people at home, at work and on the go. Leveraging an array of new technology trends—HyperMobility, 3D Transformation, Internet of Things, Smart Machines and Immersive Computing—innovators across the globe are finding ways to make our lives richer and more productive.
How we accomplish this is largely dependent on our individual and organizational appetites for innovation. As part of my talk I also discussed an idea I believe in wholeheartedly – that innovation is culture. True innovation comes when you reestablish that inner child belief that anything is possible. At HP, innovation is in our DNA. It drives how we create, think, manage and collaborate.
HP was the original Silicon Valley startup in 1939. In a small, unassuming garage, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard created their first product and philosophy – to create is to innovate.
As a leader, it is vital to drive innovation into your organization. It doesn’t require unlimited finances or resources. In the end, you need to encourage, develop and help your team to tap into that belief that anything is possible.
We recently had a great example of this at HP. Our testing group for LaserJet printers experienced a budget cut. Instead of cutting down the amount of testing, they took it upon themselves to improve the testing process. They 3D printed a robotic arm and created a program that allowed them to test the printers. Now they are better able to manage their testing and have freed up their time to explore their 3D printing efforts. In fact, they created an entire robotics platform and expanded the future for robotics in testing.
It is important to empower your employees to make decisions like these. To reimagine a problem and explore new approaches. And when they do, encourage them and celebrate them publically. I believe that we all own innovation. It is not something I own as CTO, but rather something I want everyone to participate in. Once that happens and is embraced, you know you’ve driven innovation into your company culture.
What are your strategies for incorporating innovation into your workplace culture?
